


Meeting His Horizon

by MeganSkoomaPirate



Category: Horizon: Zero Dawn (Video Game)
Genre: F/M
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-03-02
Updated: 2019-03-16
Packaged: 2019-11-08 07:22:12
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 3
Words: 6,358
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17976899
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/MeganSkoomaPirate/pseuds/MeganSkoomaPirate
Summary: A series of one-shots/headcanons of Aloy and Teb, because I love them. Teb is one of the best characters in the game, and horribly underappreciated in my opinion.





	1. The First Meeting

Teb was eight the first time he met Aloy.

His father had just come back from a hunt and was trying to teach him how to gut a boar, though Teb wrinkled his nose at the smell of the blood. His father was handing him the knife so that he could help when he heard the first shouts coming from the top of the hill that Mother’s Heart stood on. Curiosity had always been a weakness of his, his father said so, and it won out once again.

Ignoring his father’s shouts to come back, Teb raced through the village, dodging around people and jumping over anything in his path, until he finally reached where the shouts originated. He halted, panting, right in front of the Matriarch’s longhouse. The door slammed open as he watched, causing him to freeze, and the High Matriarchs stepped out.

“I will not stand for this, Teersa! It is a demon!” One shouted, her face twisted into ugliness and scaring Teb enough to make him take a stumbling step back.

“Lansra! Be silent! You’ll-“ Whatever she was going to say was cut off by a shrill cry from a small bundle that he had just noticed in her arms. “Oh, Mother, you’ve scared her!”

Lansra sneered. “What care I for it? Get rid of it, Teersa!”

“This is not up for discussion, Lansra!” Teersa looked around for a moment before her eyes fell on Teb, head down and backing away. “Ah! Young Teb, is it?” He nodded meekly as she stepped forward and patted his head. “Would you be a dear and hold her for me? I need to talk some sense into my sisters.” Her voice lowered to a whisper and she winked at him, eyes twinkling knowingly. At his nod, she carefully arranged the bundle into his arms and turned back to the fuming Lansra.

While they continued their argument, sometimes shouting and other times whispering, Teb looked down into the blankets and gasped.

 _ **A baby!**_  He thought in surprise. The baby had stopped crying as soon she was in his arms and was now looking at him curiously. **_A pretty baby too. Prettiest baby ever._**

Teb had never really seen any other babies, but he was pretty sure that she would be prettier than them all anyway. Her hair was the color of a sunset, and her eyes were the color of his favorite toy. His mother had called it… emerald green? Yes, emerald green. She had painted it for him on his sixth Naming Day, and it had been his favorite ever since. She had funny little orange dots across her nose too, that almost looked like the star shapes his mother showed him at night.

The baby smiled at him then, a great big gummy smile, and he just had to return it.

“Hello!” He said happily. “You don’t have any teeth! I’ve never seen anyone who didn’t have any teeth.” He stopped to consider for a moment. “Well… except for maybe my grandfather, but he at least had one tooth. You don’t have any! But don’t worry, I think you’ll get some. My mama said that babies have to grow a lot once they’re born.”

The baby just kept smiling at him, wriggling in the blanket until one of her tiny hands was free. She reached up and grabbed at his nose, giggling a little. He made a face at her, scrunching his nose under her fingers and causing her to laugh again. With that, Teb was lost.

“I like you.” He decided. “We’re gonna be friends, okay?” He grabbed her hand and shook it like he had seen his father do with other hunters sometimes.

“It is unnatural, an abomination!” Lansra’s shout startled Teb.

(They’re not talking about her, are they?)

“It _cannot_ and _will not_ be allowed to corrupt our people!” He stepped back and held the baby closer, as if to protect her. They were talking about her.

“And what would you do, Lansra? Kill her?” Teersa retorted, close to losing her usual calm. “She is a child! An innocent child!”

“Cast it out then! Send it away! I will not tolerate its presence in Mother’s Heart!”

Teersa went silent and bowed her head in thought. Teb’s stomach suddenly didn’t feel right, and he looked down at the baby. She was still smiling at him, hands now playing with the beads around his neck. She was so tiny.

 ** _They wouldn’t do that, would they? Who would take care of her? There… there are animals and machines out there! There would be nobody to protect her!_** Teb sniffed a little and held the baby tighter. Looking into her eyes, he made a promise. **_I won’t let that happen, baby. I’ll take care of you._**

As quiet as he could, he turned around and scurried back through the village, using shadows and alleys to get back to his house. Father was probably out looking for him or with the other Braves, and mother was with her friends taking care of the younger children. Mother’s stomach was very big now, and they had told him that he would have a brother or sister soon.

 ** _I’m sorry, mama. Sorry, papa._** Teb thought, wiping his nose on his arm. **_I made a promise, and you have to listen to the Matriarchs. I can’t leave her alone._**

Cautiously, he inched the back door of his house open and stuck his head inside.

**_Empty, good._ **

He walked over to his bed in the corner and laid the baby down, placing his pillows next to her so she couldn’t roll off. Grabbing one of his father’s packs, he set about trying to pack as quickly as he could. Lots of blankets, jerky, water, milk for the baby, a loaf of bread, the hunting knife his father had given him, and his bow and quiver. It wasn’t a very big bow, and he suddenly wished he was a little older so he could protect her better, but he would have to do whatever he could to protect and provide for her.

Since nobody else would.

The girl was content on the bed, giggling and playing with her hands, innocently oblivious to the grim expression and tears on her self-proclaimed protector’s face. Teb placed the now full pack on the ground by his bed, and, taking a piece of charcoal and old parchment from the table, scrawled a short message to his parents to explain. He knew they would worry, but he didn’t want them to get in trouble with the Matriarchs because of him. He knew that he would be an outcast after this.

His parents had told him about outcasts when he was little, told him that they were bad people and that he couldn’t talk to them ever. Teb would miss his parents, would be sorry that he wouldn’t get to meet his little brother or sister. He’d miss his friends.

But she needed him too, outcast or not.

Hoisting the bag over his small shoulders, he stumbled under the weight of it. It was _heavy_ , but they needed everything in it, so he squared his shoulders, stood as tall as he  
could under the weight, and picked the baby up. Time to go.

He left through the back door again, just to be sure, and made his way through the village avoiding people wherever he could. Teb was a quiet child, and any adult who saw him luckily just looked right over him. Stopping cautiously when he got near the gate, he looked around, surprised to see it open and unguarded. He decided not to question his good luck and rushed through, heading to the nearest patch of trees.

He was nearly into the forest when he heard someone call out to him. Clutching the baby tighter to his chest, Teb turned slowly and prepared to run if needed. When he recognized Teersa walking calmly towards him, he took an automatic step back and turned to run.

“Teb! Hold a moment there!” She called out, and he stopped in spite of himself. Turning back around and eying her suspiciously, he remained silent. “Where are you going,  
dear boy?”

Arms trembling as he held the baby, voice cracking with the tears gathering in his eyes, he spoke accusingly at the High Matriarch. “I’m taking her away! Y-you were gonna send her away. You were gonna let her die! I won’t let you, she’s mine now! Just leave her alone!” Voice lifting to a shout at the end, Teb heard the baby whimper softly and realized that he’d scared her. He bounced her gently, as he’d seen some mothers in the village do, apologizing in a whisper.

Teersa just smiled at him gently, startling him. Shouldn’t she be mad at him?

“Teb, my boy, what makes you think I’d do that?”

“But…”

She held up a hand. “Come with me.”

Teb hesitated for a moment, but eventually followed. They walked an unfamiliar path up the mountain opposite Mother’s Heart, and as it started to get colder Teb halted to  
wrap the baby in an extra blanket to keep her warm. After a while they came upon a small cottage in a clearing, far from the main villages, where a huge, bearded man was chopping wood. As soon as he noticed them, he dropped his axe and knelt respectfully in front of Teersa with his head lowered.

“Greetings, Rost! It’s good to see you well.”

The man, Rost, refused to look up and stayed silent, confusing Teb. Why wasn’t he talking?

“Come now, Rost. Stand up and talk to me! I’ll not be punished for speaking to an outcast, especially when I have a request to make of you.”

“Of course, High Matriarch. Shall we speak inside?” The man finally stood and addressed her, voice deep and warm. It made Teb feel safe, and he watched him with wide eyes. Why was this man an outcast? He didn't  _look_ like a bad person. Maybe outcasts weren’t bad people after all.

When they entered the small, warm home, Teersa asked Teb to sit on the bed in the corner and watch the baby while the adults talked by the fire. He plopped down on the bed and watched the baby play with his beads, gumming on them happily.

He wasn’t stupid. He knew why they were here. Teersa was going to leave the baby here, as an outcast, with Rost. She would be taken care of… but Teb would never be able to see her again. He wouldn’t be able to even talk to her. He sniffed, tearing up again.

He could still take her and run, but… he really didn’t know how to take care of a baby. What if he accidentally hurt her because of it? Now that there was a chance that she would be okay, Teb remembered his mother. He really didn’t want to leave her, and she was probably really worried about him.

When Teersa and Rost finally finished talking, they walked over to find the baby sound asleep in Teb’s arms and tears running down the small boy’s face, his forehead resting on hers. He finally sniffed and wiped his face, looking up at Rost defiantly.

“Rost will take her, Teb. She’ll be safe with him.” Teersa coaxed him gently.

Teb just held her tighter, staring up at the man. Rost was surprised and impressed at the young boy, protective and unafraid for an unknown baby he had only just met. Such  
bravery deserved his respect. Rost knelt on one knee in front of the boy and stared at him seriously, just as if he was a man grown.

“I will take care of her.”

“Will you take _good_ care of her? Make sure that she’s happy?”

“I will.”

“Do you PROMISE?!” He stressed grimly.

“I swear it on my spear.” Rost answered, equally grave.

Teb nodded solemnly and carefully placed the still sleeping girl into the man’s giant arms. He hesitated for a moment and removed his beads from his neck and placed them carefully over her head.

“So she’ll remember me.” He said firmly, then looked up challengingly. “And so I can find her, when we both grow up.”

\------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

It was six years later that Teb saw a little red-haired girl as he ran along the Brave trails. His eyes locked onto the string of beads around her neck and he smiled. He remembered. He remembered, and when she saved him from the heard of machines bent on trampling him, he felt like such a failure. He was supposed to protect her! He tried to talk to her, tried to thank her, but his father came after him. Yelling, not listening, talking about them, about Rost and _Aloy_ , like they weren’t even there, like they were less than nothing.

Teb felt like an even worse failure when Rost stepped in front of her to protect her from Teb’s own father. When his father stomped away, Teb snuck back while he wasn’t looking. He followed Aloy at a distance, hoping to catch her alone so he could thank her. He watched the confrontation with the other children and burned with rage, promising himself that he would make that boy’s life miserable, he could manage it easily enough.

When he heard Rost and Aloy fighting, heard Aloy begging to know about her mother, his heart hurt, and he wished he could make himself known. He wanted to be able to help her. He had promised, even as a child, to protect her. Some protector he had turned out to be.

An idea came to him though, as they set off to begin her training for the Proving. If she didn’t need a protector… then he could still help her, still be there for her. She would need someone in Mother’s Heart, when she came for the Proving. He would wait for her.

He would be whatever she needed him to be.


	2. Becoming Reacquainted

Aloy was lost and alone, her heart still sore from Rost leaving her at the gate of Mother’s Heart. Teersa had told her that she had a “friend” waiting for her along the path, had winked at her as if she knew something that Aloy did not, and she was completely bewildered. She was an outcast. The only people she had ever even talked to were Karst and a few villagers who were so desperate for help that they didn’t care about her status, and they would never acknowledge her for fear of being cast out themselves.

There were so many people, and all of them talking at once. She could feel an ache building in the back of her head from the constant hum of voices and drums. How was she ever to find one person, a person she had no idea about?

“ALOY!”

That might help.

“Aloy! It’s you, isn’t it? Over here!”

A tall, thin man was waving his arms around wildly, almost bouncing with excitement. He calmed down quickly as she walked over to him, arms falling limp by his side and eyes going wide as she drew nearer. She could swear she had seen him talk a breath and gulp, as if afraid suddenly, and she raised a curious brow.

He recovered quickly though, putting out his hand in greeting. “It is Aloy, isn’t it? I’m remembering your name correctly?”

Aloy shook his hand cautiously. “Are you the ‘old friend’ Teersa told me about? I don’t know you.”

Teb smiled a bit and shrugged helplessly. “I see you don’t remember me. Well, it was a long time ago. Teb is my name. You were half my size when you saved me from a herd of machines.”

She pondered silently for a moment before lighting up. “I remember now!” She said excitedly, smiling widely. “You smiled at us when you were running the trails! You tried to thank me when the Braves came to find you!”

“I never forgot that day, never forgot what you did. All these years I’d hoped I’d get the chance to see you again, when you came to run in the Proving.” He got an excited grin on his lips and turned around, digging though the boxes behind him. As he continued looking, he spoke over his shoulder to her. “As you can see, I didn’t turn out to be much of a hunter.” He turned for a moment to smile wryly at her. “I serve the tribe as a Stitcher instead, making clothing and armor.” He cried victoriously and pulled a bundle from the boxes, turning around to present it to her.

“In preparation for this day, I’ve… I’ve made an outfit for you.” Teb lowered his head bashfully, and Aloy noticed his cheeks turn slightly red. “I hope you’ll like it.”

She ran her fingers gently over the intricate stitching, beautiful designs embroidered into the thick leather. “What’s it going to cost?”

“Cost?!” He yelped, looking slightly hurt, before shaking his head. “Nothing! Of course nothing! Just… consider it the thanks I tried to give years ago, long overdue.”

“I’m sorry, I just…” Aloy tried to apologize.

“No! It’s fine.” He interrupted with a small smile. “I can understand why you wouldn’t trust anyone. Here, we need to make sure it fits. You can try it on in my hut. I’ll even guard the door for you.”

“Thank you, Teb.” She said with a smile as she stepped into the small house.

Teb released a breath he didn’t realize he was holding.

**_Goddess, she’s so beautiful._ **

He’d barely been able to see her when he first called out to her, only able to recognize her bright red hair… he’d nearly choked when she came near and he was able to see  
her clearly. It took everything in him to be able to speak to her normally, instead of stuttering on every other word. She’d been an adorable baby from what he remembered, which wasn’t much as he’d been so young at the time, and a cute child the last time he’d seen her. Now, though, she’d grown into a stunning young woman, well-formed and  
strong.

The way she walked, the way she moved, her stance, all spoke of the warrior that she had become, yet there was a softness around her eyes that spoke of compassion and warmth. Her hands here scarred, calloused, and strong, but she shook his hand carefully, not like the Braves who liked to show their strength by crushing his hand.

He was smitten already.

 ** _Not good._** He thought to himself desperately. ** _Not good at all. She is way too good for you, Teb, so you can stop it right there. She’s going to become a Brave tomorrow and_** ** _forget all about you again, which is as it should be._**

It seemed that his heart disagreed with his head, because it went wild in his chest when she came out in clothes that he made for her.

“There.” He managed through the lump in his throat. “It seems to fit you perfectly.”

“Thank you, Teb.” She said, eyes shining. She ran careful fingers over the leather. “I’ve never had anything like this.”

“Well, it’s yours. I think you’ll find it affords more protection than… what you were wearing.” Teb took a step forward and started pointing at various parts of the tunic. “I  
added some stiffer, thicker pieces of leather in these areas. How’s your movement? It’s not restraining you at all, is it? I was working only with guesses for your measurements.”

Aloy stretched out her arms for a moment, assuring him that she had her full range of motion.

“Good, good. If you ever need any adjustments, just bring it right back to me. Anyway, I shouldn’t keep you any longer. They’re probably getting ready for the Blessing, so you’ll need to find Teersa. Just head up the hill until you see the large wooden building… most likely with an angry mob waiting outside.”

“Teersa said something about envoys from another tribe.”

“That’s what the mob is angry about. Carja, visiting our Sacred Land for the first time in years. It won’t be pretty. I’d expect to see some tomatoes fly, maybe rocks. Hopefully  
not spears.” He smiled crookedly. “In any case, be ready to duck.”

“Thank you, Teb. For everything.” Aloy answered with a tentative smile. “Maybe I’ll see you later?”

“I hope so. It was nice to see you, Aloy. If you ever need anything, anything at all, you know where to find me.” Teb smiled widely as she left, ignoring the disapproving  
glances he could see from the people passing by.

\----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

It was almost two hours later that Aloy returned, shoulders slumped and steps weary, and Teb’s growing smile fell. He stepped forward to meet her, reaching out a hesitant hand to place on her shoulder.

“Aloy! Are you okay? What happened?”

Aloy smiled grimly. “Nothing that I didn’t expect, and some things that I couldn’t have expected.” She shook her head and squared her shoulders. “It’s nothing, Teb. I’ll be fine.”

“It’s obviously not nothing, Aloy. Here, let’s go inside and have some tea. You can tell me, or not, whatever you want. At least we’ll be warmer.” He smiled softly. “What do you  
say?”

She watched him thoughtfully for a moment before smiling in return. “Sure, Teb. That sounds nice.”

His smile grew, and he swiftly packed up his wares to store them inside. With a box under one arm, he opened his door and waved her in first with the other, stepping in after  
her to place the box on the floor.

While Teb was building the embers of the fire up and lighting candles, Aloy looked about her in fascination. With the majority of the small space taken up by a workbench and  
leather, machine parts, and wires hanging on every available inch of space, the already cramped space felt even smaller, yet oddly comfortable. The furniture was sparse, only a chair in front of the worktable and two chairs in front of the fireplace, with a small bed pushed into the corner to make room for everything else.

She ducked under a sheet of leather hanging from the ceiling and made her way over to the table, picking up a piece of unfinished armor. Even incomplete it was an impressive bit of work, with overlapping layers of leather for protection and maneuverability, and fur lining for warmth. Classic Nora style. Then a small sketch caught her eye. On closer inspection it was a Nora warrior, but the armor… it seemed reminiscent of the armor that Erend had been wearing at the Matriarch’s Lodge, a mixture of Nora and Oseram designs. Aloy was still staring at it in awe when she heard Teb come up behind her.

“I saw them when they came into the village this morning.” He said humbly, taking the page from her hand and examining it critically. “Talked to them a bit before they made it to the Matriarchs. They were all too eager to speak of their armor, but it was more boasting of what it protected them from than anything else.” He furrowed his brow. “I think… I think it’s to protect against projectiles, rather than a physical, up close attack. I noticed that the leather was thicker and heavier around the rings, thick enough to keep the arrowheads embedded. I even saw some still in their armor, so it must be a badge of honor for them. You see how the metal rings-” He continued musing to himself for several minutes while Aloy listened in amusement and awe. He really was passionate about his work. She smiled at the thought.

“Oh!” He said finally, blushing slightly. “But you don’t want to hear about any of this. Let me go make the tea!”

“I don’t mind.” She replied honestly. “It was actually kind of interesting. You really know your armor, and the way you’re trying to combine the Nora with the Oseram is very admirable and open-minded. Not quite like the rest of the Nora.” She muttered the last words bitterly, before clearing her throat and smiling at him.

Teb lit up at the unknowing praise, blushing a little, and pulled the small kettle of water off the fire to pour into a teapot. “But that’s the thing! If we don’t learn from the other tribes, how can we improve? Just looking at the Oseram’s armor has given me many ideas to help protect our Braves from the newer, more dangerous machines! Imagine if I could get ahold of armor from the other Tribes!”

Aloy chuckled a bit. “I’ll keep my eye open for any travelers, just make sure that I get to be your first customer whenever you introduce something new.”

“Of course!” He said as he handed her a mug filled with a fragrant tea. “The strongest Brave of the Nora tribe, wearing my armor? They’ll come from all around to see me!”

She scoffed angrily. “Little chance of that, Teb. Might want to keep my patronage a secret, lest you be alienated too.”

“Aloy, that’s not true.” Teb said seriously. “Once you run in the Proving-“

“Which I almost wasn’t able to, since the guards at the gate refused me entrance until Teersa came!” She exclaimed furiously. Teb could only watch in dismay as the flood  
gates opened and all her anger and frustration came out. “Ever since I came into the village I’ve gotten glares, cold shoulders, and open hostility! To them I’m a motherless outcast, and that’s all I’ll ever be! Even if – _when_ \- when I win the Proving, I will remain an outcast.” She gulped at her tea. “I don’t care though. I lived my entire life without the tribe, I don’t need them now.” Rost’s words about the tribe needing her echoed through her mind and she swallowed hard.

“That sounds lonely.”

“Better lonely than abused. Besides, I’ll have Rost whenever I find him.”

He was silent for a moment. “Is that what you were so upset about when you came back from the Blessing?”

“Mostly.” She said with a weary sigh. “It’s just been… a really long day, to say the least. I seem to have been shunned by everyone today.” Letting her head hand back against  
the chair, she stared at the ceiling dejectedly. All the villagers and Braves staring at her in disgust for one reason or another, Olin brushing her off, the Matriarch Lansra cursing at her… and Rost telling her goodbye. She didn’t think she could take much more today.

“I’m sorry.”

Aloy turned her head to smile at him, something about Teb just made her feel comfortable. “It’s fine. I mostly knew what to expect when I came. Besides, you are one of the three people today who have actually talked to me.”

Teb smiled gently. “Always will be. They’ll come around though, you’ll see. Even if they don’t, my door will always be open for you, no matter what.”

“Thank you, Teb.”

At that moment, Aloy felt warm and safe. Safer than she thought she ever could feel anywhere but at home. If she closed her eyes, it almost felt like she was sitting at home in front of the fire with Rost. Opening her eyes and seeing Teb smiling at her?

Well, it felt like home too. Odd.


	3. His High School Valkyrie (Part One)

“What are you gonna do, prissy boy?” Bast snidely demanded, glaring at Teb from where he stood above him. Teb refused to answer, or even look up, as he quietly picked up his books from the floor. Too used to Bast’s bullying, despite being two years older than the freshman who liked to make his life hell, Teb figured it was better to just ignore him. Eventually he’d get tired of not getting a response and either go away, or try to move on to physical abuse. So far, Bast hasn’t been quite brave enough to try the physical route, but Teb was ready for it regardless.

While Teb wasn’t the most athletic guy, he’d taken several years of self-defense classes to make sure that he’d always be able to protect himself. That, plus the yoga he did every morning and evening, made sure that his body was covered in lean, wiry muscle and strong enough to be able to throw off most opponents.

They’d gathered quite the crowd in the hallway around them, the other students watching as Bast continued to throw insults and expletives at the still silent Teb. He recognized a few of his friends watching in concern, and sent them a subtle shake of his head. He could handle this.

Until Bast found his sketchbook that is…

“What the hell is this?!” Bast laughed scornfully, carelessly flipping through Teb’s book of designs. “What are you, a girl?! Oh this is just too good, you are so pathetic!” He was too busy laughing to see Teb standing up defiantly and snatching the book from his hands.

He stuffed the notebook into his backpack with nary a blush, he wasn’t embarrassed about his dream to be a designer, rather the opposite. He was proud of the clothes that he had dreamed up. Turning around and slinging his bag onto his back, Teb began to walk away with his head held high, only to be stopped by a hand grabbing his backpack and ripping it backwards.

“Where do you think you’re going, girly? I didn’t say that I was done with you.” Bast grinned menacingly as Teb’s books once again scattered to the floor. Teb simply watched with a raised brow, wondering if he was about to cross the line. He didn’t want to resort to violence, but it was probably about time for Bast to get what he deserved.

Bast had only just pulled his hand back to throw the first punch, causing Teb to shift into a defensive stance, when Teb heard the voice of an angel of vengeance call out through the crowd.

“Get out of here, you vultures! Out of my way!”

Somehow Teb managed to go as pale as a sheet, and blush as red as an apple at the same time.

 ** _Aloy._** Teb thought to himself in awe as a short girl with long red hair elbowed her way through the crowd, dismissing people as she went.

Aloy Sobek was the star athlete of their school, the pride of the Braves, being one of the top students in archery, equestrian studies, and wrestling. She was known for her fiery red hair, always pulled back in several braids, as well as an equally fiery temper. Despite her many strengths in school, she’d always been somewhat of a social outcast due to being homeschooled by her parents for most of her life, causing her to be extremely awkward in most social situations.

Bullying was one thing that Aloy could not tolerate, and she always stood up for the downtrodden students, no matter who they were. She and Bast were constantly at each other’s throats, whether it was because of his bullying or her being a better Brave than he could ever be, though they had yet to come to blows for it. Aloy always preferred tearing down her enemies with her wit rather than her fists, a trait she’d learned from her mother, Elizabet Sobek, one of the world’s leading scientists in physics and robotics.

Teb had always admired the younger woman, but could never work up enough courage to talk to her. Instead, he poured his budding affections into his designs, with Aloy as his muse. Dark red dresses embroidered with orange and blue flames, tan jackets with bright blue trims, things and colors that remind him of her. He can already see new designs from the way she storms forth from the crowd like an ancient Valkyrie, bent on avenging the oppressed.

“Bast!” Aloy barks angrily. “Bugger off and leave him alone!”

“Well, if it isn’t little ‘Miss Perfect’ come down from on high to correct our behavior!” He scoffed mockingly. “Nobody asked you to interfere, so get lost! This is my business!”

“I’m not perfect, Bast, but I’m leagues better than you!” She retorted angrily before smirking. “And if you put even half as much effort into training as you do bothering literally everyone, maybe you would have gotten the position of team captain in archery instead of me… but probably not.”

The people around them let out loud exclamations and laughed, causing Aloy’s smirk to grow as Bast turned red.

“We all know that the only reason you’re team captain is because your daddy gave it to you.” He hissed angrily. “Must be nice to have everything handed to you by your parents!” He gave a smug grin at his perceived victory.

“Riiiiight! My dad totally just gave it to me because he’s the coach.” She rolled her eyes. “It had _nothing at all_ to do with the fact that I _shot literal circles around you!_ ”

As the crowd laughed again, Bast exploded in rage and swung at her. She grinned and neatly dodged out of the way, and did so for several moments. Eventually, though, she tired of playing with him. When the next punch came, she grabbed his arm and twisted, pulling his arm around behind him and shoving him up against the locker.

“That’s _enough_ , Bast! Walk away, before I drag your sorry rear to the nearest teacher just like this.”

Bast hesitated for a moment before begrudgingly nodding. When she released him, he shoved her back and stalked away towards Teb. In a last move of defiance, he shoved Teb’s sketchbook out of his hands onto the ground once again, breaking the binding and sending papers everywhere.

Aloy turned to the people surrounding. “Alright, folks! Show’s over! You can all scurry away now!” She turned to Teb. “Are you alright?”

Teb could only stare in awe at her for a moment, until her face grew even more concerned and he shook his head to clear it. “Yeah. Yeah, I’m okay.” His friend Petra winked at him and wagged her eyebrows suggestively before she walked away, with Sekuli throwing a big grin and thumbs up over her shoulder as she followed her. Teb groaned as he knelt down to pick up his pages, trying to hide his blushing face. Some best friends. “Thank you, by the way.”

“It’s no problem. I’ve been itching to confront him for a while now.” He felt her kneel down beside him and start picking up papers.

“Oh, no, you don’t have to do that! I’ve got them!” Teb said frantically, gathering papers together as quickly as he could. _**Please don’t find them, please don’t find them, please don’t-**_

“I don’t mind helping, Teb.” She paused for a moment as some of the drawings caught her eye. “Wow! These are really good, Teb! Amazing!” She started flipping quickly through all the papers in her hands, admiring them one by one, until she came upon the first drawing of herself. Shocked, she stared at it for several moments, then raised her eyes to Teb. He had his hands covering his face, and what little she could she was covered in a deep red blush as he moaned miserably to himself. Looking back to the drawing, an answering blush bloomed on her face.

It was a drawing of her walking carefully down a long staircase, as if she were a princess entering a ballroom. He had drawn her in a beautiful, floor-length evening gown of the deepest midnight blue, small crystals glittering like stars in the fabric, with her hair let down in curls. She looked beautiful, elegant, and unreachable.

Aloy kept looking through the drawings, each one of her and always in different aspects of herself. Hunched over a book studying with glasses sliding down her nose, wearing a comfortable sweater. Aiming down an arrow with an intense look on her face. Laughing with her friends in the school cafeteria. Did her really see her like this? They were all drawn from a distance, as if the artist was afraid to come any closer. It made her a little sad.

“I’ll… I’ll destroy them. Tear them up and burn them, and you’ll never have to see me again.” Teb said, face down and looking anywhere but at her. Aloy looked at his outstretched hand and snatched the pictures closer to her chest protectively.

“NO!” She cried, surprising them both. Teb’s eyes snapped forward to stare at her in shock. Lowering her voice carefully, she continued. “No, don’t do that. They’re beautiful.”

“But I drew them without your permission! I should have asked…” He continued miserably.

“I don’t mind…” She whispered, looking at the first drawing again. A fresh blush bloomed in her cheeks as she looked up at him and smiled crookedly. “Nobody’s ever really seen me like this, let alone made something so beautiful because of me.” She placed them carefully into his hand and stood. “Promise me that you’ll keep them?”

Teb could only nod dumbly. She smiled bashfully and turned to walk away. She’d only made it a few steps before she turned back towards him.

“By the way, I can teach you how to defend yourself if you want, in case Bast decides to keep being a moron.”

“Oh, I already-“ Teb stopped and shook his head, he wasn’t going to miss this chance. He looked up and smiled. “Yeah, I’d like that, if you don’t mind.”

Aloy grinned hugely, a bit of red on her cheeks. “Good. I’ll talk to you later then!”

“Yeah.” He sighed dreamily as she walked down the hall to her next class. “Talk to you later.”

He couldn’t help jumping in the air, arm raised victoriously.

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**_A/N: ME TOO, TEB! ME TOO! Normally I don’t do these, AUs really aren’t my thing to write and I generally try to keep things as lore-friendly as possible, but this idea jumped up and slapped me in the face as I was driving home from work. Hopefully it doesn’t suck! There will be at least one more part to this._**


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